Closer to Understand how Memory is Formed

The short term memory and long term would be consolidated, according to Japanese researchers working in different parts of the brain. This study lays the groundwork for the first time of how memories are formed.

The construction of memory has been a real mystery to researchers. Knowing how you form memories is one of the most fascinating mysteries of our brain.

For fans of Harry Potter , Dumbledore’s Pensieve talk involves moving into those scenes of JK Rowling’s books when we went into the memories of the magician with this magic item. Filled with a fog-like substance, halfway between liquid and gas, the Pensieve helped the Headmaster of Hogwarts to keep much of his memory.

As you told us while Antonio Orbe, memory allows us to store and retrieve memories and abilities, so that is intimately linked with learning . Although its duration varies from minutes to hours in the case of short-term memory, and days or longer periods in the long term, the fact is that until now did not know how was the training process memory.

What makes us able to keep our memories? The answer is not simple. Until now, scientists have failed to visualize in vivo the process by which our memory is contruyendo. However, a study in the RIKEN Brain Science Institute in Japan and published in the journal Neuron could help us understand how memories are stored, and therefore, how it is produced the learning process.

To do the job, Aoki Tazu team used zebrafish, an animal model often used in laboratories since themammalian brain is too complex to address this problem. What did the researchers transgenic fish was subjected to an experiment using LED lamps, in which the animals had to avoid certain signals, depending on the light emitted. In particular, the fish should not approach the red LED, because to do so would receive a small electric shock.

Then using different combinations of LED colors, plus genetically modified fish to visualize its neuronal activity (using fluorescent proteins), scientists were able to find in which memory region stood short and long term. Surprisingly, the results revealed that both are located in different parts of the telencephalon of these fish.

The researchers, to analyze neuronal activity in zebrafish, they saw that the short-term memory could be located in the dorsal part of the telencephalon, corresponding to the human cerebral cortex. If eliminated this part of the animals, they could be trained to perform the experiment properly, but keeping the memories just in a short period of time. According to Aoki, for the short-term memory consolidation as long term, it should be transferred to the cortical region.

Through this work, we have managed displayed for the first time the process by which the memory is formed. Although these studies need further research to see if really the memories and learning occur in mammals as occurs with zebrafish, the truth is that this project provides important bases in the field of neurobiology.

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Posted by Paracha on May 17, 2013. Filed under Health, Life Style, News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.